More than 60,000 children in Nottinghamshire have not seen an NHS dentist in the last year, according to newly released figures.

The British Dental Association (BDA) has accused the Government of an unwillingness to engage with hard-to-reach families, saying it could save money through earlier intervention.

A large number of children have not seen an NHS dentist in the last year

Data from the NHS shows that just 60 per cent of children in Nottinghamshire saw an NHS dentist in the 12 months to June 2018, though this is slightly more than the 59 per cent average across England.

It means 65,898 children in the area have not been for their check-up over the period, despite NHS guidelines saying they should be seen every 12 months. NHS dental care for children is free.

The BDA has called on authorities in England to follow the example of the devolved Scottish and Welsh Governments, who have set up programmes reaching out to children in schools.

Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, the BDA’s chair of general dental practice, said that current outreach programmes were more likely to target people who already visit their dentist.

He said: “Sadly, the Government has shown no interest in getting hard-to-reach families to attend, when prevention could save our NHS millions.

“In Scotland and Wales dedicated national programmes are reaching out in nurseries and primary schools, yet in England the authorities have offered a few posters to pop up in dental practices.

“When tooth decay remains the number one reason for child hospital admissions we need more than preaching to the converted.”

Figures show that 20 per cent of five-year-olds in Nottinghamshire inspected in the 2016-17 academic year had experienced tooth decay.

Among them, 1.6 per cent of the pupils had required a tooth extraction, a procedure which generally requires hospital treatment for children.

Adults are advised to see their dentist at least every two years. The figures show that even fewer adults than children had visited during the advised timeline, with just 52 per cent seeing an NHS dentist in the 24 months to June this year.

Across England, 51 per cent saw their dentist over the period, a figure reflected in a fall in the uptake of services.

Nearly nine million free courses of dental treatment were provided in 2013-14, dropping to under seven million in 2017-18 – a fall of 23 per cent in four years.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We want every single child and adult to have access to NHS care, whatever their background or location – and last year a record 6.9 million children were seen by a dentist with numbers rising every year.”